The Application of Islamic Scripture in Entheogenic Exploration
by Dawoud Kringle - May 19, 2009
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I greet the reader with the greetings of peace. Krystle of NeuroSoup honored me by inviting me to write this article.
Many people who practice entheogenic shamanism may find this article unusual. I have observed that the entheogenic experience prompts many people toward a perception of spiritual ideas and concepts. This inevitably leads to the development of a conceptual doctrine to describe and support these experiences. Sadly, this has an unfortunate side effect. Spiritual experiences from other practices, methods, traditions, etc. are rejected. All too often we fall into the same traps our philosophical opponents fell into, and we don't learn from their example until its too late.
I point this out because I come from an Islamic / Sufi tradition and perspective (I am a musician; and also do volunteer work as an Imam - Islamic minister - for the prisons in my city). It is necessary to dispel prejudices before the experience I have been asked to share will be comprehensible. I have little interest in proselytizing, nor do I believe myself to possess the power to "convert" anyone (and wouldn't try if I thought I did). I simply present facts as I experienced them, and invite you, my respected reader, to examine it with an open mind, and perhaps make use of it. Please note that I have, out of respect for the privacy of those involved, changed names.
Some time back I was performing at a multi media event held at a place where entheogenic culture is prevalent. I was a featured solo performer, and for this event I played the sitar. It was quite obvious to me that some members of the audience were under the influence of entheogenic substances. Understanding the sensitivities of such people, I tailored my improvisations in such a way as to make their experiences more beneficial and less vulnerable to dangerous influences. With the proper training and experience, this is not difficult for a musician to do (this is, however, an article for another day).
After my performance, I locked my instrument in a safe place, and socialized a little bit, enjoying some of the other performances and presentations. Shortly, a young lady of my acquaintance came to me and asked for my help. A young man she'd attended the event with, a part of her entourage, had taken too much LSD, and was having a bad experience.
She led me to one of the lounge areas where a DJ was playing some ambient music. People were socializing, as they will in such gatherings. The young man in question, whom I will call Alan, was lying on the floor, clearly in psychic distress, surrounded by friends who did not know how to help him.
As of this writing, I am almost a half century of age. In my younger years, I had plenty of experience with mind altering substances. I knew exactly what was happening.
At that precise moment I was struck by inspiration. I sat down next to Alan and introduced myself to him and his friends (most did not know me personally; but my reputation as a musician and a Muslim preceded me). I asked Alan his permission to recite from the Qur'an, and he said yes. So I began to recite what I'd memorized, in Arabic, and in a chant / singing voice; just loud enough to be heard above the DJ (who, mercifully, was not very loud).
At this point, a digression is necessary.
As you may be aware, the Qur'an is the Scripture of the religion of Islam. It is believed by Muslims that it was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (570 - 632 c.e.) over a period of the last 23 years of his life by Allah (God. The Supreme Being) through the medium of the angel Gabriel. Muslims believe that the Qur'an is not the product of human imagination or intellect. The structure and content of the Qur'an is, even from a purely secular perspective, absolutely unique, and has no counterpart in any other body of literature. The imagery and linguistic subtlety is found, even by non-Muslims, to be of immense power and beauty; especially to those familiar with the Arabic language (and many believe the Qur'an to be untranslatable: much of its linguistic essence is lost in translations. Especially in European languages).
Muslims make abundant use of the verses of the Qur'an. It is, to us, a living thing. We apply it to all kinds of situations; and has even been used as medicine.
To return to the story. I recited from the Qur'an. Alan became calm, and listened attentively. He held my hand, and after a time, lay his head in my lap. Some of the people in the lounge gathered to listen; they never heard Qur'an before. The feel in the room had taken on a stillness, almost a timelessness, that even the usual revelry that was going on around us could not dispel.
At this point, my memory fails me to provide much more in the way of narration. I remember what I described in the previous paragraph; and certainly remember everything I recited. But at this point, I was merely a conduit of something greater than myself. My own "self" was, as in the case of many of my musical performances, irrelevant. The only thing that was important was what was being said, and the medicinal effect it had on Alan.
However, when I felt I had recited enough (I'd continued this recitation for about 20 minutes, if memory serves me), Alan sat up, and was visibly more lucid and calm. He was still under the influence of the drug he took, of course. But the danger to his psyche had passed. He was more balanced and in control of what was happening to him. His friends saw this, and were frankly amazed. They'd never seen anything like it. After a while, I was assured that they would see him safely home, and with expressions of gratitude and good will, we bid each other farewell.
Some months later, I ran into Alan. He thanked me for what I'd done. He also told me that the words I recited still reverberated in his mind. For my own part, I am grateful that I could be an instrument by which my brother's illness or injury may be healed.
This is a true story.
Now, it is necessary to contemplate how this happened. Why should the recitation of a collection of ancient verses in a language Alan had no experience or knowledge of have such a profound effect upon him?
First, I must come back to the belief that the Qur'an is Divine Revelation. There exists a great deal of evidence from a purely scientific perspective to support the claim that it was impossible for the Prophet Muhammad to have invented it (space does not permit me to list details). If one were to accept this, it would come as no surprise that such words would, by their very nature, possess immense power. And as with all power, it may be applied. In this case, it was applied as psychic medicine.
This holds true with a great deal of religious Scripture in their original form and language. The argument of the authenticity of any given text aside (and outside the scope of this article), the content of the words contain the means of profound conceptual, imagery, and visceral effect. These effects are to be seen in the case of Qur'anic recitation, Gregorian and Buddhist chant, and many other examples.
There is also the effect of pure sound upon the human body, mind, and soul. These effects are more subtle than one may realize. This, combined with the fact that all of creation exists in a state identical to, and in its primordial state, indistinguishable from the principles by which music and sound operate. It is not difficult to imagine how sound, speech, and music will contain great power to cause change and effect. It can heal, and it can kill. Our bodies resonate with the same frequencies and harmonics that we find in beautiful music and beautiful speech.
How this applies to entheogenic shamanism is obvious. The use of entheogens is not without its dangers. There are a great number of random elements that challenge one's psychic safety. At every moment during such journeys, the shaman could come across an experience beyond his / her ability to withstand. This could come in the form of psychological archetype and imagery, psychic forces, non-human entities that are attracted to the changes in the subtle body that occur during such experiences, etc.; or even something as mundane as stumbling into an awkward situation.
There is something else that will interest the reader. There were specific verses and short chapters that I repeated several times. Each one of these have traditionally been used for purposes as diverse as spiritual balance and enlightenment, medicine, and exorcisms.
We live in a time when a great deal of knowledge is available to us. With it has come many innovations. However, it would be wise to temper the use of these innovations with a knowledge of what has worked for centuries. We must not be tempted to throw out the baby with the bath water! The spiritual traditions of Islam contain a great deal of powerful tools by which the explorer will find provision, guidance, and light to shine in dark places. It has been my experience that this holds true for all; Muslim and non-Muslim.
It is obvious to me that this article is, to say the least, potentially controversial. Islam has gotten a "bad rep" of late: the abuse of Islam (on all sides) for the sake of political expediency, combined with an appalling ignorance, is a recipe for disaster. And to attempt to apply it to entheogenic shamanism is a stretch. The Shari'ah forbids intoxicants (despite some Sufis with heterodox leanings making use of some entheogens in ritual settings), and while a dichotomy may exist, there is, within, the seeds of unity. If nothing else, the story I shared here is true, and my experience of using Qur'an to re-balance a mind troubled by an enthogenic experiment gone bad is, in itself, enough evidence that it is worth looking at.
There is one other word of advice I would like to offer the reader. The entheogenic experience can be an authentic spiritual experience, but often is a facsimile of the real thing. In both cases, difficulties arise. With either the former or latter, the experience is brought about artificially, and one is placed in a realm where one cannot easily leave. In many cases, the modern shaman has no spiritual foundation or discipline to make use of what he /she percieves and experiences. Thus, the true importance and lesson can be lost; and one returns to "normal" consciousness unchanged and unenlightened. I am reminded of an old Buddhist story. The head monk of a monestary announced that one of the students had achieved supreme enlightenment. The other students asked the newly enlightened young man how he felt. He said "As miserable as ever!" I say this because it has been my experience that seeking enlightenment in a scattershot manner with no method or model (to at least provide some foundation to build and forge one's own path upon) leaves one vulnerable to, at worst, utter psychic ruin, and, at best, futility.
Yet none of this means that I am opposed to exploring the parameters of enlightenment. This is indeed something human beings should do, and we have only begun to realize our potential. Hazrat Ali ibn Talib (the Prophet Muhammad's son in law, fourth Khaliph, and one of Islam's greatest saints) once said "You think you are very small, but there is an entire universe within you that you do not see. The source of your own healing is already within you."
I wish to conclude by saying that, strictly speaking, I do not believe that there is any such thing as a human being having a spiritual experience. No such event ever really occurs. The truth is that we are spiritual beings having a human expernce. We are beings created for eternity. Our brief stop in this world and in this body and mind are one small step in an unimaginable journey. It will interest you to know that the Arabic word for humanity in Qur'an, Inhsan, is eytmologicaly derived from the word for forgetfulness. We forgot where we came from. And these "spiritual experiences' are, in fact, us remembering who and what we are, and the Source from where we came, and will return.
I pray that you, respected reader, truly Remember, by whatever means are available to you. Know that it is not my intention to say anything inaccurate or offensive. If anything good comes from what I say, than all praise is due to Allah; only the mistakes are mine.
Dawoud Kringle.
